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You are hereStatement by Ambassador Berger on UNODC in the Security Council

Statement by Ambassador Berger on UNODC in the Security Council

Jun 24, 2011

(as delivered)

Thank you, Mister President,

I would like to join the others in thanking Mr. Fedotov for his insightful briefing. We recognize the important role and the work performed by UNODC for the development of effective strategies and measures to reduce the detrimental impact of illicit drugs on the health, social well-being and safety of people across the world.The briefing has clearly shown that organized crime and drug trafficking can have a major impact on regional and international peace and security.

We all share the global concern about the detrimental impact that drug abuse and drug trafficking have on the political and socio-economic stability of societies, particularly in West Africa, but also in parts of America, Central Asia and Europe.Countering these drug-related threats remains one of the main objectives of UNODC. Many countries lack efficient capacities for effectively countering and preventing trafficking and use of illicit drugs. The work of UNODC in the field of institutional capacity building and assistance for States to improve the skills and knowledge of national authorities in all areas of drug control is essential and deserves further support.

Mr. President,

Germany is concerned about violent activities by illegal armed groups and criminals involved in the drug trade, in some cases linked to terrorist activities. These threaten local populations as well as security forces. They undermine state authority. They also threaten to undermine some of our joint efforts in building peace, such as in Afghanistan, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.Recognizing that post-conflict areas are the most vulnerable, we are convinced that the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking is also an important factor in peacebuilding efforts. We underscore the crucial role of the Peacebuilding Commission in this context.

Germany welcomes recent initiatives in Central America to combat organized crime and violence on a regional and multinational level by staging the international conference on regional security on June 22/23 in Guatemala City. We hope that the implementation of the newly presented Security Strategy for Central America will successfully contribute to reducing the threats of organized crime, corruption and impunity on all levels.Together with our European Union partners we support this and other regional and international mechanisms and frameworks for fighting drug trafficking and organized crime, including G-8 initiatives.

Furthermore, Germany also welcomes cooperation between UN agencies, funds and programs and other regional and international organisations - such as UNODC’s cooperation with UNRCCA.